Hydraulic toe clamp

• US 4,406,445 A
• Filed: 12/03/1981
• Issued: 09/27/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jergens, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jergens, Inc.
• Inventors: Seidel, Lawrence H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Whitehead, Harold D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schad, Steven P.
• Application Number:
  US06/327,217
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 269/137, 269/134, 269/136, 269/138, 269/32, 269/221, 269/282, 269/234, 269/34, 254/104, 92/129
• US Class Current: 269/32
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 5/061 with fluid drive B25B5/087, B25B5/122 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 5/087 actuated by a hydraulic or pneumatic piston

Abstract

The toe member of a low-profile toe clamp is advanced down an incline at the working end of the clamp by a pair of horizontal hydraulic pistons, one on each side of the hold-down slot of the clamp. The toe member is provided with transverse pins which are overridenly engaged by inclined faces on the pistons, so that the horizontal movement of the pistons is translated to the inclined movement of the toe member and so that a stopping action is provided by eventual engagement of the pistons with the toe member.

Claims

1. A toe clamp comprising a generally horizontal body member having a working end, a declining central slideway extending from an upper relatively rearward portion of said working end to a lower relatively forward portion of said working end, a toe member on said working end and having a central portion slidably keyed to said slideway for movement over said working end downwardly and forwardly in an advancing direction and upwardly and rearwardly in a retracting direction, said movements each having both horizontal and vertical components, spring means between said members and urging said toe member in said retracting direction, said toe member further having first and second sideward portions each on its own side of said central portion and each defining its own piston-receiving recess in said toe member, pin means extending across each of said piston-receiving recesses from side to side thereof, said body member having first and second sideward portions corresponding to said first and second sideward portions of said toe member and each defining its own hydraulic piston bore opening into a corresponding one of said piston-receiving recesses of the toe member, a horizontally movable hydraulic piston in each of said piston bores and extending into one of said recesses, a downwardly and rearwardly inclined face at the forward end of each of said hydraulic pistons, each said face bearing in overriding relationship on an upper side of said pin means within the corresponding piston-receiving recess to urge both sideward portions of said toe member to advance in a balanced manner downwardly and forwardly against the bias of said spring means and to cause the horizontal movement of said pistons to tend to overtake said horizontal component of said downward and forward movement when said hydraulic pistons are advanced by hydraulic pressure, and to urge said hydraulic pistons to retract as said toe member retracts under the bias of said spring means when said hydraulic pressure is relieved, the vertical clearance between the tops of said piston-receiving recesses and said pistons in the retracted position of said pistons and said toe member being sufficient to accommodate said vertical component of said downward and forward movement as said hydraulic pistons advance to fully extended position.

2. A toe clamp as defined in claim 1, said piston bores in said first and second sideward portions of said body member extending along opposite sides of a hold-down slot extending lengthwise of the body member and opening between the top and bottom faces of the body member.

3. A toe clamp as defined in claims 1 or 2, said piston-receiving recesses each having a vertical interior end wall moving with and as part of said toe member, said pistons each being proportioned to engage the end wall of its associated recess to limit said overtaking movement and stop or lock the toe member from further advancing movement at a point above the bottom face of the body member.